The Oncoming Darkness
by Black Night Shadow
Summary: DISCONTINUED! This story focuses on an island girl with a mysterious past who finds a silver-haired boy unconscious on the beach. She begins to fall in love with the strange boy named Riku as they both leave on an action-filled adventure with her adopted brother Sora. She thinks that she's not special or magical, but is something amazing stored inside her locked heart?
1. Chapter 1

The Oncoming Darkness

A Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction

**A/N: Hello! This is my first fan fiction so I'm a little worried... *sweatdrop * please review to help me out with my writing! It's very much appreciated!**

Chapter 1

His silky, silver hair glimmers in the sunlight. He flexes his taut leg muscles, with smooth graceful movements. Sand from the beach flies through the air behind his unfortunately large feet. Yet, the same gentle breeze that sways the palm trees lazily, carries the scene of a dark future.

_I can only watch him for so long, _I think to myself. So, I leap off my tree branch perch and alight on the ground below. For a moment, I stand perfectly still, staring at him as he runs back and forth across the smooth white sand. Suddenly, he stops and collapses on the sand, sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Hey, Riku?" I call, a little worried.

He lifts his head and smiles gently, " 'Sup" he replies casually. _How long has he been running back and forth?_

My mind reels and my heart pounds uncomfortably, why can't I get used to talking to him? He has been on the island for two months ever since my family found him on the beach. Mysteriously, he doesn't remember anything about his past or how he got here. Riku often stares into the sky, wondering, like he is now.

"You know... I remembered why I always feel the need to run around in the mornings." he suddenly says.

I jump a little and take a couple steps forward before sitting down in front of him. He nods for a while and then says, "I was training... for something very important... I... just don't know what. A battle of some kind?"

_ A battle? What does that even mean?_

"But... something happened... I don't know about that either, though."

"You probably don't want to remember." I say dreamily lost completely in a past that no longer exists.

"Yeah." he replies with a smile, and I'm instantly brought back to earth. I am suddenly aware of how close we are to each other. My heart patters nervously, once again giving away my embarrassment.

"Riku, Cina! Lunch is ready so coome ooon dooownnn toooooooo... EAT!" My friend, Ilenel shouts, waving his arms back and forth.

Riku and I both jump up at the same time and conk heads. I sway to and fro for a moment threatening to fall over. _Holy cow, that HURT! _

"Uh... that kills." Riku says, rubbing his temple. He's bent over slightly with one hand on his left knee. My heart is beating life threateningly fast when he slowly opens a teary to look at me.

"S-sorry!" I shout throwing my arms up in a panicked frenzy. I almost swear I can hear an amused chuckle.

"It's okay," he replies while straightening up, "but we better get going if we want to make it in time for there to be ANY food left..." he smiles, so I nod eagerly, like an idiot.

"Let's go through the forest." I say, "As a race."

"He he... you got it." he replies with a mischievous grin. Again, my heart almost implodes.

"Ready... set... GO!" I shout, my voice echoing through the trees. Immediately, we both take off running through the lush greenery. My eyes sight fantastic colors blurring out the more I run. I notice that Riku got in the lead with a practiced ease. Even though _I _am one of the most athletic people in the village, he is much faster in our races. My advantage: I know all the short cuts. Upon thinking this, I careen onto a side path and continue to run.

Riku swivels his head side-to-side trying to see where I am. I accidentally let out a barely audible giggle, and he grins, while picking up his pace. Too bad, it's already too late. My long colorful skirt whips around my legs, my hoop earrings slap the side of my face, and the colorful string around my ankles tighten as I run.

I leeeaaan forward stretching out my hand and... I win! I do a weird, jerky victory dance, and Riku laughs. My face feels really warm all of the sudden, and I am once again aware of the fact that I can't dance. _Geez, I'm acting like an idiot today._

_Intermission _

Riku and I finally arrive and my family greets us as we walk into our large hut. They sat around an old_,_wooden table, gazing at us expectantly. All ten of them: Papa Gadou, Mama Ro, Grandma Gadou, Grandpa Ro, Illenel, Oriel, Rochess, Jonel, Raymore, and Sora. As usual Sora greets Riku enthusiastically. Like Riku, Sora was found unconscious on the beach. Somehow, they have a special bond, but Sora is the only one who seems to know why.

_ As Riku and I sit at the table, we hear a loud scream. _The both of us bolt out of the cottage, ready to scope the scene.

A tall, Dark-haired woman is sprawled across the ground, clutching her baby of two years protectively to her chest. Once again, her scream echoes through the village. A dark shadowy figure looms over her, it looks to me like a huge cat.

Sora is right behind Riku and I as we race out of the hut, and he plants himself between us and the beast. Sora turns his head and grins at us, in his usual bright way. There is an instant when I wonder what he's about to do, but when I realize, it's to late to stop him. Sora hurls himself towards the cat, and as he does so, a huge key appears in his hand.

Apparently, he plans to hit the cat... with a KEY. _What the heck? _Riku falls down immediately, clutching his head, and moaning. I lean over worriedly, and put my hand over his forehead, he's burning up!

"Uh... Riku? H-hold on..." I fumble with my words glancing back and forth from Sora to Riku. Sora, who was hitting the cat repeatedly, doing cool flips, but without much progress. Then Riku, who was panting and muttering some nonsense about a 'keyblade' whatever _that _means. I'm not sure who to help or how, so I turn to my family for help, but something's wrong, they're frozen, with their mouths open in horror. Then, traces of darkness creep across my vision, and I slowly slip into unconsciousness.

My last thoughts as I fall asleep: _Crap... I'm so screwed._

_Intermission_

My eyes flutter open to see a vast, clear blue sky. I notice silver hair in my peripheral vision, and before I can ask myself questions like – why is the sky so clear? Why can't I hear the ocean? Why am I laying on grass?- I remember the scene in the village: the dark cat, my family's faces twisted with horror. The memory makes me shiver. But, why did all that happen, and what about Sora's 'keyblade'?

_ I try to sit up and ask Riku what was going on, but the moment I attempt to do so, I pass out in a kind of exaggerated romance movie way. But, in the seconds right before I slip into unconsciousness once again I watch the once bright blue sky turn into a shadowy black._

**A/N: Sorry if it's too short, it'll get better, stay tuned!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! This is the start of Chapter 2! Squee! I hope you've liked it so far. Anyway, I decided not to screw with the heartless and the nobodies, because I don't totally get how that works. I haven't finished the kingdom hearts games that I've played so, a lot of stuff has sort of gone unanswered for me. But don't worry, I still love the games, I'm just not a very good gamer...(My thoughts: Why couldn't I complete Hallow Bastion in KH1? Darn...) Anyway my point is, I made the villains up! Please enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I open my eyes slowly, trying to ignore the pain in my head. _What happened?_ I take in my surroundings, and notice first that it's nighttime, in a forest. The only thing was, it isn't the tropical forest I'm used to, it's a thick, broad leaf forest. I see the faint glow of a weak fire out of the corner of my eye. I sit up ever so slowly, then turn to face the fire, but a fiery bursts of pain light up my side.

I flop back down and gasp for breath. "Cina!" I hear Riku's voice shout from somewhere on my left. Someone's hand holds up my head, and someone else pours water into my mouth. I choke a little, but manage to slurp it out of the cup, water dripping down my chin.

"Riku..." I say weakly, my eyes barely open.

"Yes...?"

"Please... explain... what's going on?" I ask, barely able to hold on to consciousness, but determined to know the truth.

"Cina... this is all gonna be a lot to handle so... just bare with me okay?" now it's Sora's voice speaking to me, his voice uncharacteristically serious. _Why's only Sora here? Where's everyone else? Oh yeah... must have something to do with the huge key..._

"Cina?" Riku says

"I'm... listening..." I manage to choke out.

"Alright," Sora continues, "I am a keyblade master. Which pretty much means I can wield that weapon I was holding before, that is, of course, a keyblade."

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter impatiently, aware of how quickly my senses were fading, "just get on to the part about the cat."

"Oh... The cat was something called a shadow demon, it's particular name is the Darint," _Darint? What kind of name is that_? " Anyway, the Darint was after me, because these... shadow demons... like keyblades... for food." _Food? What kind of cat eats a _key _for food? _"What I mean to say is, the keyblade's energy is the same as their source of energy, well... you see-"

"Get- on- with- it-!" I gasp in an irritated way.

"Well, the Darint wanted my keyblade so it attacked me, which forced Riku to remember he's a keyblade master too and then the cat attacked the village then while you were protecting Riku it jumped at you and sliced open your stomach then we were sent to a field then a sort of force field went around the normal field then we were transported here and we don't know how to take care of your wound!" Sora explained with a large run-on sentence, that didn't make very much sense.

My head still hurts too much to think, but one thing is suddenly brought into my attention, "Wait... Riku is a... keyblade master... too?" I ask. Someone tries to answer, but I can't understand what their saying, once again I fade into darkness.

My last thought: _Damn... Not again..._

_Intermission_

I am faintly aware of being carried piggy-back style the same way I used to be by my father in the days before the storm...

My eyes flutter open for the third time, revealing a small, white room. For once I don't have a headache, which is a good sign. I sit up carefully, praying to the island spirits that I wouldn't pass out again, and thankfully I don't. The blinding pain from before is replaced with a subtle sting. Not wanting to overdo it, I ease off the bed I had been laying on and placed my feet on the floor. But, right as I apply weight to my legs, my knees nearly buckle beneath me. My hands clutch the mattress so I can pull myself up. My normal strength is apparently nowhere to be found, _where's Riku and Sora?_

At that moment, a tall, blond man in a long white coat enters, holding a tray covered with needles and scalpels. My first impulse is to run as fast as possible, but my knees still quiver from the effort of standing. I can't walk, much less run, plus Sora and Riku's location hasn't been pinpointed. _And, _I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE I AM! All of these issues buzz through my mind, and my heart pounds in fear, but apparently, all of that is unnecessary.

The man immediately drops his tray, face twisted with fear and flees the room. I simply stare after him, dumbfounded, _Am I so scary that he had to run away? _Riku's head leans into my view from the doorway, and then he walks in with a wink at me. I try, and fail, to keep my somersaulting heart under control. Sora follows him in with a bright grin.

"What was with that guy?" I ask as calmly as I can manage.

"Oh, him," Sora chuckles, "he was afraid because Riku had to threaten him to let you stay here. I guess he thinks we were really dangerous or something."

"Yeah, that's generally what people think after you threaten them... And, how exactly did that work? I mean, why would he let us in, if he was worried about us being dangerous?" I ask, trying not to look into Riku's face for fear of blushing, "and why didn't he report us?"

Riku smirks and replies, "He was very compassionate... cowardly, but kind and compassionate..." Riku's eyes seemed distant, his smirk seemed only a shadow of its normal shine. His whole personality seemed faded and gray. _What happened? Why didn't I notice when he first walked in?_

Sora seems to sense my discomfort, "Now then, if you finally feel better, let's head out!" Sora grins widely, just like normal.

I feel embarrassment tighten my chest, so I set my thoughts aside as I squeak out, "Uh... I can't... walk..."

Riku smiles a shadow smile and shakes his head. In a smooth, graceful movement, he scoops me off the floor and into his arms. My face feels like someone's burning a campfire on it as he carries me out of the hospital.

_Intermission_

Riku carries me gently (ignoring my fierce blush) through the small village we had managed to come by. Up until we reach a bustling town square. This was a place filled with homeless people looking for coins, boys bouncing soccer balls on their heads, pickpockets, food stands, and so much more. We all sit on the edge of an empty fountain. Riku next to Sora, and Sora next to me. The bright colors, and sharp smells are a bit to much to my rested eyes, and I realize that I am in a very fragile state.

Quickly, I make myself busy doing what I normally do when I feel overwhelmed, picking up small details. I notice the faint cracks and the wear away at the bottom of buildings and the debris that seems to be piled up every which way. I come to the conclusion, that this area had a flood recently, or some other natural disaster like a tsunami. There are a lot of fish stands, which means there are a lot of fisherman, which means, we're by an ocean or river.

While I distract myself with details, Sora speaks up, " I want to explain exactly what's going on... more clearly this time." He raises his eyebrows at me.

I nod distractedly and continue to count the amount of lampposts with graffiti scrawled across them.

"The shadow demon, called a Darint," He looks at me to see if I remember, and as I turn my head to look at him, I lose track of which number I was on, 32 or maybe 36? Sora continues, "attacked Riku and I, because we're keyblade masters... as you know." I nod slowly, "But... we don't know what happened to the villagers..."

My head snaps sideways to glare at him, and I narrow my eyes, "You sound as if you weren't one of them... as if they didn't care for you! What do you mean," I lower my voice a few octaves, "'We don't know what happened to the villagers'?!" I take a deep breath in, I shouldn't be getting upset with Sora, this isn't his fault. After counting to three slowly I speak again, more maturely, "Sorry, what do you think happened to them?" I ask.

Sora grins and nods, "They're probably back at the village still, we were the ones who transported." he says.

"Transported?" I question, my full attention on Sora.

"Yeah, after I finished off the shadow demon, we were immediately transported to a... meadow. We slept there for a couple of days and we found out that there was a sort of magic force field around it. We used our keyblades, magic, brute force, everything we could think of, to break it but it didn't work. And then, all of the sudden we were transported again to that forest, the one you woke up in-"

"Wait..." I interrupt, "From what you tell me, you have a very strong enemy. as a keyblade master, do you have any enemies powerful enough to make a force field that you couldn't break?"

Sora and Riku exchange glances, Riku nods slowly. Sora turns to me and says, "We think it's a Marste." There is an awkward pause, and eventually, I give.

I glare at them, then growl, "You know I don't know what that means, so save some time and explain."

Sora laughed, "Okay. A Marste is sort of like a king of demons. One for each type: Plant, Rock, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, and Shadow. We think it's a Shadow Marste."

I nod for a while as if everything makes sense, and then I make a sudden realization, "Waaaiiiit... what does this have to do with me?" I ask.

Sora and Riku exchange a skeptical glance that I don't understand, which annoys me, and then Riku nods again, which makes me fidgety. Sora gives me a serious look, which is unusual for him, "Humans... shouldn't be able to see the Darint, much less be _attacked_ by it, you aren't even on the same plane of existence! It's almost like the Darint targeted you from the beginning. Which was... strange. We don't think you are a keyblade master, but maybe... something else."

For what feels like an hour, I stare blankly at Sora. His expression goes back to normal, "Anyway, sorry we disrupted you and your island home... we'll bring you back immediately... no strings attached!"

"What are you gonna do then?" I ask.

"...Nothing in particular. We travel around mostly, do jobs to get some money... a carefree kind of life." Sora says. _That definitely fits them._

"Alright, I want to know what's so special about me, so I'm coming with you." I shift my gaze between them, then nod assuredly.

Sora grins and Riku chuckles. I take that as a yes, somehow, I think this is going to be fun.

**A/N: Okay, I'm back! And I need to tell you not to give up on this story yet. It will get better. I'm also going to announce that I will probably do most of my updates on the weekends. Moving on, I guess this is the first time I'm putting this but... this is the disclaimer:**

**Riku: Hey, Black Night Shadow**

**Me: RIIIIIIIKKKKUUUUUU**

**Riku: *sweatdrop * Uh...**

**Square Enix: *Pulls Riku away * Riku, and the KH games are ours, not yours**

**Me: T-T *sniff *Fine... I d-don't own... Kingdom Hearts... OR RIKU! *runs away crying ***

**Square Enix/all the Kingdom hearts characters: *sweatdrop ***

**Anyway... I think I'm supposed to put that at the beginning... *laughs awkwardly * oh well...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 3! I am working through writer's block right now, so don't be cruel... Anyway, now for the Disclaimer!**

**Cina: You're reluctant to let me get up, aren't you!? After you created Riku you want him all for yourself, RIGHT?! **

**Everyone: *gasp ***

**Me: Well, you see, I didn't create KH or Riku, so... your accusations are incorrect.**

**Everyone: *lets out a sigh of relief ***

**SE (Square Enix): Yes! Now we don't have to force her into admitting it!**

**Me: …**

Chapter 3

Riku and Sora stand at the same time and take off out of the square, leaving me scrambling behind them, trying to keep up. They move gracefully through the village, as if this was a practiced performance. They stop in front of an old inn, and motion for me to follow. Sometimes, I just don't get them. An aged man with a white beard and kind, brown eyes greets us. I can tell he used to be very handsome and his calloused hands indicate a rough life.

"Hello, young 'uns," He says to us, "Would you like to pay for a room?" he asks.

Riku's hand goes to the bag on his belt, where I know he keeps his money. Sora scratches his head, rustling the spikes. My eyes spiral downward, remembering how Riku was forced to threaten our way into the hospital, how can we afford a room?

The old man chuckles, "If you're low on cash, I could have you work at the inn, and get your rooms free..." he raises an eyebrow at us, questioning.

Sora and Riku look uncertain, so I make the decision, "We'd love to." I say giving them meaningful looks.

Sora grins, and Riku gives me his signature smirk. I have a feeling that this journey is not going to be good for my heart, as it does a hundred flips every time Riku looks at me. The man belly-laughs and says, "Okay then, I'm Heltar, your new boss!" He shakes his head, still laughing, "come on in, let me show you around."

_Intermission_

Heltar stops in front of the kitchen and asks, "Can any of you cook? Well?"

Riku scratches his head and Sora whistles some random song. I look past Heltar, and see a boy of about fourteen snickering while he simmers a sweet -smelling sauce. He gives me an arrogant smirk. _The heck?! I can cook! _

_ "_I can... cook." I tell Heltar hesitantly.

"Fine then, Hayner here will test you and see if you can work well in the kitchen." Heltar replies.

The boy named Hayner smiled at me, and I return it with a forced grin, _Challenge accepted! _My competitiveness shines through, I _will _find a way to get him to say my food is delicious. I've already decided he is my newest rival, when I've barely met him.

"Alright, you both get started, I'll find these two a place..." Heltar says as he walks away.

I turn to Hayner and we lock eyes for a moment. "I hope you can make pasta at least, because we're serving it a lot today. It's a special. Just boil the noodles and hand them to me." he turns back to the stove without saying anything else.

I run over the instructions in my head and search the cabinets for a pot.

_Intermission_

"Well, that's it for today, come back ready for more!" Hayner says on his way back to his room.

_Ugh... that was rough_ My spine aches from craning my neck to get a view of the pots on the back burner, my hands are covered in bandages from the various burns I had contracted, and my head throbs from listening to the sound of pots clanging together. The heat from the kitchen still makes me feel like I have a fever. _I didn't even get him to say my food was delicious, I didn't have a chance._

Plus, Hayner wants me to get up bright and early to get some 'extra training' I can already feel the pain of my efforts straining my back. I take up a slow tread down the richly carpeted hall. Even though it's not a particularly nice inn, it's got one thing going: thickest carpets ever. Clouds under my feet.

Our room had wallpaper that was peeling away, and a strange smell, but it was totally worth it to crash into the lemon-scented blankets of my twin bed. Then, I realize, after several minutes of staring at the crescent moon outside my window, that Sora and Riku weren't back yet. With a loud, obnoxious sigh I push myself up and move towards the door. My movements are painfully slow, and I remember that I'm not yet fully recovered from my wound. As I open the ancient, wooden door, Riku walks into me. I let out a yelp of surprise, and we both crash to the floor. His face is a few inches from mine, and his beautiful, silky hair brushes across my face. Riku quickly jumps up and offers me his hand. As I take it, I notice he is blushing ever so slightly_. Can I hope...?_

Sora slowly floats into the room after him without taking notice of us, looking even more tired than Riku and I. He grins, turns to the bed next to the door, and literally, face plants into it. A couple moments later we hear soft snoring coming from him. I laugh and sit down on the bed next to his.

"Guess we should follow his example-" I yawn.

Riku chuckles, then says, "Yeah, but you should know, we're leaving bright and early tomorrow." I nod, swaying a little from my exhaustion. _Tomorrow, we're moving on._

_~And then they slept~_

"Wake up..." Riku murmurs to me, gently shaking my shoulders. I sit up with a huff, my muscles feel even worse. But I know that I can't slow Riku and Sora down, we're supposed to leave today. At least, that's what I thought, but Sora has another plan.

No matter how hard we push him and tried to drag him, he wouldn't get up and out of bed, and Hayner was going to be coming up soon. I nearly start to cry when I think about how damaged my muscles will be from bending over and lifting things, and searching for things all around.

"Looks like we're staying another day..." Riku says, his face isn't happy. At all.

"Uh... okay." I reply lamely. He gives me a sideways sort of smile and walks out of the room.

"Alright! It's time to start your special training!" Hayner says bursting into our room, grinning. _NOOOOOOOO!_

~With Riku~

Riku gingerly brushes the maple horse, his eyes soft. The scene is framed by delicate, yellow oak leaves flowing in the wind. He is unaware of the girls from the staff swooning at his presence.

**A/N: Yay! All done! I'm sorry it sorta just... ended. Maybe I should give the next chapter a nice cliff-hanger... hehe *sneaky face * By the way, try my poll for who I should introduce next in the story! (from kingdom hearts of course)**

**Zexion: Choose me.**

**Me: hmmm...**

**Demyx: I'll play something for you...**

**Me: mmm-hmmm**

**Kairi: I just want to be with Sora**

**Me: …**

**Axel: I'll definitely spice things up!**

**Me: Yeah! **

**Larxene: I don't want to be in your stupid story... lame.**

**Me: *anger mark * Well you're not even on the poll, so don't be so full of yourself!**

**Anyway, check out my profile!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everybody!** **(if anyone) I just wanted to congratulate myself for working through my writers block! I'm writing more easily! Anyway, I don't have much to say so... here's the disclaimer!**

**Zexion: ...hello...**

**Me: (oh my god... he's so... CUTE!) Uh, hi.**

**Zexion: I wanted to ask you... you won't cause me any trouble by acting like you own KH this time, right...? *puppy dog eyes ***

**Me: ./. No... I won't... (Oh. My. God.)**

**SE: (YES!) *whisper * like a boss, Zexion!**

**Me: ?**

Chapter 4

~Still With Riku~

Riku grabs a basket of bright red apples and sets them down near the horses' stalls. Sugar, a sand-colored horse neighs loudly, and paws the ground eagerly. Riku chuckles and hands the horse a shiny apple. A woman with short brown hair walks up to him, blushing immensely. Riku turns and smiles, handing her an apple, which she feeds to Maple, Sugar's brother.

~Back with Cina~

"All right! Scrub the counter 'till it shines!" Hayner says cheerfully. I glare at him menacingly. He snort-chuckles, then walks off to another section of the kitchen. I glare after him then sigh in the most dramatic way possible, oh well, I can still do this.

~With Sora~

"Wh-why do I have to do this?" Sora mutters angrily.

"Because it's cuuute~!" A maid shouts.

"It suits you..." another maid grumbles, "better than it suits me at least..."

"I still don't understand why I have to wear a dress!" Sora exclaims, exasperated.

"Heh... nice dress." a waiter that happens to be walking by says.

"SHUT UP!"

~Cina~

"Okay Hayner, I've indulged in your game, the counters, floor, pots, and even the toilet shine. Am I done?" I ask.

"Heh... yeah... I'll let you go for now." Hayner replies.

"Really?" I ask incredulously, my eyes sparkling. Hayner chuckles then nods.  
"Go around town, your tourists after all."

_Actually, we're travelers, but whatever, I better just move it, NOW._

"Thanks!" I call graciously, and I sprint out of the kitchen, eager to see what Riku and Sora were doing.

~Sora~

_Ugh, I can't stand this dress, it's too itchy, and girly, and gross. _I reach into the bag that's supposed to hold my real uniform, but I feel something else: a teddy bear. I panic for a moment, then I read the note attached to the bear.

Dear Sora,

We're sorry, but we can't pass up this opportunity. You look absolutely fabulous in that dress. We hope that you, and everyone else, can see that. Your uniform is outside on the clothesline. By the time you get there, we hope you'll realize how amazing that outfit is.

With love,

The Maids

"WHY?!" I scream.

"Uh... Sora?" I hear a familiar voice behind me. Cina is staring at me with wide eyes, but she quickly recovers, and puts on a forced nonchalant expression.

"W-well, you see, it's not, I mean..." I stutter uselessly.

"It's okay Sora, I understand, you don't need to explain." she says smiling, but still looking surprised.

"Um..."

~Cina~

I think I just walked into the most awkward situation ever. Sora stares at me blankly wearing a fluffy, frilly, pinkish maid uniform, that no one even wears here, and brandishing a feather duster. I can't really say I'm surprised, I kind of expected this. It does suit him, better than it would suit me. I look down at my dirty chef's uniform, then I think of my beautiful skirt from the village, beaming with all colors that's currently at the bottom of a bag I had with me when I was attacked by the Darint. I feel a stab of homesickness, but I wash it away quickly. I must be strong for this journey.

"Um, Cina?" Sora says, looking at me worriedly. I pull myself back to the task at hand.

"All right, I'm done with work, so let's go into the village!" I add, "... if you're done of course..."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the maids will cover for me." Sora says.

"So, I was going to look for Riku too." I say, my heart beating a little faster at the sound of his name. Whoa, I need to pull myself together, I'm a tom-boy... right?

"Yeah, okay where does he work anyway?"

"I think, by the stables." I say.

"Where's that?"

I think for a moment, "by the clothesline." I reply.

"Oh, nice..." Sora whispers, his eyes lighting up a little for some reason. I shrug it off, and walk hurriedly out of the room, with Sora trailing behind me.

~Riku~

What's with this girl? Why is she so close? I shift away from her a little, and try give the horses their water, but she's clinging to me, making it difficult. _Cina wouldn't do this..._ I blush, realizing I had just thought of Cina again, even though I'm trying to concentrate on my work. The girl (I don't even know her name) leans towards me and I finally realize what's going on. She leans closer and closer, her eyes closed. I block her with my hand an inch or two from my face, and I realize that Cina is standing nearby in my peripheral vision. I see her face flash with hurt.

~Cina~

I can't believe it, Riku and some girl. Why? I had no idea Riku was like that. My heart pound uncomfortably at the thought.

The girl pulls away suddenly, and I see that Riku has his hand in front of his face, he looks genuinely annoyed. _Pfft..._

"Wha-? Isn't that the hand you used to take care of the horses? Gross!"_ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ I almost burst out laughing, and I find it hard to keep my composure. This is awesome! I think that this girl probably made my week!

"Uh, hey Cina." Riku calls out sheepishly. The girl glares at me, then turns on her heel and stomps away.

"Hey Riku." I say forgetting to be nervous, "Sora and I are going to walk around town, so do you want to come?"

"Sure, but where's Sora?" Riku asks.

"Over here!" Sora calls, wearing normal clothes now (Thank the island gods and goddesses).

"Well, now that we've all gathered, I want to go to the candy store we saw earlier!" I say brightly. Riku chuckles and Sora beams.

All three of us take up a lazy gait on our way into town.

_Intermission_

"All right we've had our fun, let's get our stuff from the inn, and head out of this town." Riku says to Sora.

"But, why so suddenly?" Sora asks, confused.

"Because-"

Just then, a loud screech interrupts Riku's explanation, "NO! STOP IT! I HATE YOU!"

My head snaps to the side in alarm. It's the voice of a child, so my (motherly?) instincts take over. I rush towards the sound of the screams, with Riku and Sora trailing behind.

I arrive in a small clearing to the side of town. A little boy is screaming his head off at a tall man in an odd looking robe. The man isn't moving, but he's holding a doll above the boy's head, just out of his reach. A little girl stands in the corner looking on, her eyes watering up as she watches the boy fight for her doll. I roll up my sleeves a little, and march onto the scene. The man turns towards me for a moment, but then he pulls his hood down, so I am unable to see his face.

"What are you doing?" I demand angrily, I'm not going to let this man have his way.

"Don't interfere." he hisses, then he spits at me. I glare ferociously at him. Who does he think he is? Why's he picking on kids anyway? I make a quick and reckless decision to fight him. With a swift jagged sort of running, I charge at my opponent. He dodges me easily and his fist crosses in front of my face, but I pull my nose back just in time.

He sends a flurry of wild kicks and punches at me all of the sudden, catching me off guard. I manage to block the first few of them, but then one kick lands on the side of my face. My concentration is broken, and I'm being battered.

I throw a few strong punches at his stomach, giving me enough time to dance out of his range. I notice Riku shift as if he wants to help, but I shake my head and hold up my hand. This is my fight alone. The man ran at me suddenly, and as he slammed against my side I felt a blade slip into the wound from the Darint attack. I gasp, my eyes seeing only red. In a last heave, I throw myself at him. He spits at me, then throws the doll into the branches of a tree. I am distracted by the movement, and he scrambles out of the clearing. For a moment, my pride wells in my chest, yet a nagging thought douses my spirits. If he hadn't run, I would have fought until I passed out, or worse, died. I frown uncomfortably.

"-na, Cina! Snap out of it!" Sora exclaims.

"Heh, you're always daydreaming... can't you pay attention every once in a while?" Riku asks. I smile as I realize that he was back to the Riku I knew on the beach. His soft smile melts my heart the same way it always does.

"Anyway, lets help these kids out by getting their doll out of the tree." Sora says with a winning grin at the little girl. Most girls go crazy over Sora when he smiles like that, but her eyes go wide in rage.

"Your people disrespect our strength and you hunt us down, it's savage! You even took a powerful healtrix... and you expect us to _thank _you?!" the girl says with an odd accent, looking genuinely upset.

"Uh, I said nothing about being thanked..." Sora mutters, but she ignores him. Her eyes flash as she stares at me.

"You... are a healtrix..." she says in a disconnected sort of way.

I can only wonder what she means, but my thoughts are interrupted by...

_DUN! DUN! DUN!_

**A/N: Okay! There you have it, chapter 4! Anyway, I'm really sad that no one did the poll... *sad face * so please, I want to be able to add in a new KH character! I can't choose! Maybe, I'll make something horrible happen to Riku if you don't vote by Valentine's day. Hehe... *evil smirk * JK! I couldn't do that to Riku, but still, I need those votes, and while your at it, review too... please? I need some feedback, right now I'm sorta just hoping it turns out okay... I say all of this assuming some one actually read this far, and likes the story enough to care... *sigh * I made this one of my longest chapters for you guys... so... please?**


	5. Mysterious Rose

**A/N: Chapter 5! I still didn't get any votes for the poll... *sigh * but I still think I can make an interesting chapter! If you like this story, thank ElectroNerd for bringing this chapter to you, it's dedicated to her. Anyway, without further ado, the disclaimer:**

**Me: Pfff... I completely own the KH characters... I mean seriously, DUH! Why else would I write a story about them?**

**SE: *talking into a walkie-talkie * All right, she's definitely lost it, *whispers * send in the secret weapon.**

**Ciel (a character from my fave anime) : Hey.**

**Me: OMG! *fangirls * IT'S CIEEEEELLLL! *passes out ***

**Disney: *drags me away ***

**SE: *thumbs up ***

**Ciel: In case you haven't realized it, she doesn't own KH or any of the characters *walks off ***

**A/N: … That sounded better in my head...**

Chapter 5,

Mysterious Rose

...A cat. A very large cat, the Darint. The little girl stares at the Darint with a glimmer in her eye. She slowly turns to me, "Sync." she whispers. The Darint's voice rumbles, and the sound vibrates through my bones. The Darint walks over to me and slowly opens its mouth wider and wider. I feel a strange tingling feeling the closer the beast gets. Without even meaning to, I put my hands out to meet the animal.

Sora and Riku remain silent, watching carefully. "SYNC!" the girl screams, her voice screeches in irritation. I flinch and try to anticipate the Darint's behavior. The Darint doesn't take notice of the girl's instructions. He puts his head on my lap and purrs contently as I scratch behind his ears. It's actually kind of hilarious, watching her panic, as sadistic as that sounds.

"Who are you?" Riku asks cautiously.

The girl swells with pride, "I am Larxene, loyal servant of the great shadow Marste, Gilo." she states regally.

My mind races, _this Gilo character has to be the one who transported us, but why? How does he know about me? What is so special? I'm a healtrix... that's the answer... but what does that mean?_

"What is a healtrix?" I ask sweetly, still stroking the Darint, hoping that she'll be too distracted by gloating,and gives me the right answer.

"Ha! You think I would tell you, while you are traveling with our greatest enemy, the keyblade masters?" She snorts.

"Hey, about that doll..." Sora cuts in.

"Oh!" Larxene exclaims, staring up into the tree that has no low hanging branches. She shifts her feet nervously, a if she's afraid of something. All of the sudden she gets a devilish grin plastered all over her face. "I'll tell you what a healtrix is... if you get the doll..." she says.

Okay, I'm not _that_ gullible, I mean, seriously. She's standing there with this huge, stupid grin on her face, and a secret she isn't willing to part with. I'm about to decline, when a thought slices through reasoning. What do I have to lose? If I get the doll, there is a chance, however slim, that she'll tell me. If she doesn't, so what? She runs off with her doll! That's not a big deal.  
I'm positive that my plan is perfect, so I push the Darint off of my lap and run directly at the tree. With a powerful jump, I wrap my arms and legs around the trunk. Larxene claps with delight. I notice, then, that the boy standing behind her is silent, _he's probably a servant too... _I twist around a little on the trunk, so that I can see the boy as I expertly climb tree. The boy smiles at me, and gives me a rock on symbol. _The hell?_ With a huff, I continue to shimmy(?) up the tree.

With a quick swipe, I snatch the doll from the tree and drop to the ground. I land on the balls of my feet easily. Sora laughs, "As expected of Cina!"

Larxene walks toward me, grinning, but something in her gaze strikes a nerve, I can feel that something's not right. She's gonna run off with the doll... I don't really care, so I make a sad attempt to keep it from her. I hold it above her head, fake her out, spin around, and she starts to get irritated. She jumps up, using my shoulders for support, and snatches it from me, glaring. I simply laugh, she's really hard to take seriously, it's actually kind of cute. I chuckle for a moment, but then the world starts to feel blurry.

Larxene is holding the doll and humming a strange tune while swaying back and forth. I lose the feeling in my arms and legs and crumple to the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sora and Riku in the same predicament. My vision is blurry and I feel a strange sensation as the man in the dark hood drops down into the clearing, again. Suddenly, I wonder if he was the initial bad guy at all.

Larxene cackles, her eyes like cold stone. The man reaches for the doll, but I can see his strength fading as the seconds turn into minutes. Larxene holds it a little further out of his reach, and he collapses to the ground. I strain to stand, but my limbs are locked down in place. Suddenly, in a burst of strength, the man shoots from the ground, and slams straight into Larxene.

She howls angrily, and he snatches the doll from her grasp. All of the sudden, my muscles are back under control, and I jump up from the dusty ground. Sora and Riku also get back up, but with less jump.

"What was _that_?!" I exclaim at Larxene, who was writhing in the dust. Her movements grow weaker and weaker, until she seems to freeze. However, I can see the faint rise and fall of her chest.

"I had no idea that doll was a trel..." Riku mutters.

"Okay, you guys need to understand that I won't have any idea what some of your words mean for a while, please explain." I say, exasperated.

"A trel is a tool used by shadow demons to control peoples muscles, most of them lock your muscles in place. All the most powerful shadow demons carry them." Sora pipes.

"Oh." I say, not even bothering to ask what the other ones do. I suppose I'll find out later.

"So... why is Larxene human-like and the Darint not?" I ask, motioning to the large cat that was also frozen in place on the ground.

"The more powerful a demon is, the more they look like humans." The man says, taking off his hood. That's when I see, that he's only a teenager, with one visible eye, and the other hidden under his blue and silver hair.

In that moment, I remember the boy that was with Larxene, but he's nowhere to be found. I growl inwardly,_ how could I forget about him?! _

As if reading my thoughts, Larxene mutters, "Demyx always disappears when stuff like this happens, that dumbass... He'll come crying back to me when Gilo gets pissed at him for leaving me here..." I realize that she doesn't know that I can hear her.

"What's your name?" Sora asks.

"Humph... I could ask you the same thing, this is _my _territory after all." the strange boy says.

"Oh! I'm Sora, that's Riku, and the pretty girl over there is Cina!" Sora says, in his normal, friendly, hyperactive voice.

"I'm... Zexion." he says.

"Hi Zexion! What did you mean when you said all that stuff about territory?" Sora asks.

"I'll show you..." he says without much expression, then he walks into the forest, away from the town. _I wonder what it would be like if he laughed..._

_ 'It's nothing special.' _

_Whoa... you can read my thoughts?! _I jump in the air with surprise written all over my face.

_ 'Yeah... it's a trait passed down in my family of Demon-keepers for centuries.' _

_ What's a demon-keeper? _

_ 'We fight demons and lock them up in a sort of... cage.'_

_ Oh, what's your reason?_

_ 'Balance.'_

_ What?_

_ 'You see-'_

We're cut off mid-thought by a howl, it's the Darint. For some reason, my heart twists in pain, what's going on?! I feel the urge to run to the Darint and calm it down. I never fight urges.

With a quick twist I'm off, ripping through the dense forest. I enter the clearing and kneel beside the beast. The Shadow demon claws at me and tries to get away, writhing on the ground. I can feel his pain sharper than my own. I hum a song that I remember my mother used to sing to me when I was little. Whenever I was hurt, it calmed me down.

The Darint settles and he begins to glow, at first the light is dim, more like a shadow, then it becomes a warm brown, then a fiery red, a sweet orange, I bright yellow, a vibrant green, a deep blue, a gentle purple, then brown and black again. I watch in awe as the light consumes the beast entirely, the rest of the world forgotten. I have never in my life seen such a beautiful sight.

But then, the light fades and the Darint is gone. Riku and Sora gasp. I look around and see that Larxene is gone, I guess Demyx came and got her. Whoa. The world is really clear, my hearing and smell are a lot better. Zexion sighs and shakes his head.

"What's with you guys?" I ask.

"You're... you're... a cat!" Sora exclaims.

"What?!" I hiss. I've never made a sound like _that _before. With a look down at myself, I see that I'm still standing upright, but my feet are paws, and I have a sleek black tail. Plus, I reach up and feel ears on my head. At least my hands are the same. But, I have a cat nose... and whiskers.

"That was a very powerful Sync..." Zexion mutters.

"That's what Larxene told the Darint to do, but it didn't work!" Sora says.

"Of course not, the healtrix has to initiate it." Zexion says.

"What's a-"

"Shut up, I've answered enough, my sister will inform you of anything else. Her name is Rose." with that, he disappears

**A/N: What do you think? Good, okay, horrible? … if you think it's horrible, just pretend you think it's in the 'okay' category and give me some advice, 'kay? Next chapter, we'll meet Rose, and guess what?You'll find out what a healtrix is! Cina may even learn to fight(a little). **

**Larxene:What? I thought you weren't going to put me in here?!**

**Me: Heh... I just said you weren't going to be in the poll, nothing about you not being in the story... now I can make you a total idiot! *evil grin ***

**Larxene: *grumbles ***

**Demyx: thanks for putting me in there!**

**Zexion: Yeah...**

**Axel: Do you hate me?**

**Me: Of course not! You'll come in too, all in good time!**

**Kairi: SORA! *sob ***

**Me: …**

**A/N: Yep, that's the conversation we had... no lie... *pants spontaneously com bust * (is that how you spell it? Is that even a word?) Anyway, About that (?) symbol...**

**(?)= Uh, is that how you spell shimmy?**

**SPELLING ISSUES, PLEASE STAND BY! **

**Hehe... I'm so random...**


	6. Healtrix

**A/N: Yes... chapter 6! I'll try to be more descriptive again, as the fact that I sort of stopped describing everything has come to my attention... Anyway, I'll get to the action soon so, bear with me. Now then... the disclaimer.**

**SE: So... this whole story is kinda awkward without any action in it...**

**Me: Wha-?! I'm getting to it...**

**SE: sure...**

**Riku: Anyway, lets get on with the story.**

**Sora: *whispers * no, she hasn't admitted that she doesn't own KH yet... it might take a while... she is a fangirl after all...**

**Me: … I can hear you. You knew that right?**

**Sora: *silence ***

**Me: … FINE! I don't own KH... Geez... stop making me say it...**

Chapter 6,

Healtrix

Sora, Riku and I stare at the spot Zexion was in disbelief, isn't he going to explain what the hell was going on?! Riku starts laughing all of the sudden, I stare at him in surprise.

"I have to say, that was interesting," He chuckles and pulls on my tail, "you look really cute." he says. My face, is BURNING OFF! OMG! I feel this strain in my throat, I _really _want to squeal. Me, _squealing _I cant picture it...

"I guess we have to find Rose then..." Sora says.

"Did someone say, ROSE?!" A girl's voice asks.

We look around in confusion, where...? Suddenly, a bundle falls down from a tree. Then, a girl in blood red pants and flowing shirt drops down on top of it. A beautiful red chain hung from her delicate, brown neck. Her long black hair curled around her waist, and her bright eyes captured us. They started with green on the outside, then the colors changed as they got closer to the pupil. I assumed that this, was Rose.

"Yeah, we needed to talk to her." Sora says.

"I am she!" The girl says with a vibrant smile.

I can already tell that I'm going to like her.

"We were just talking to Zexion..." Riku trails off.

"Oh, I know! I've been up there this entire time!" she laughs. Wow, You'd think I'd notice that...

"Hee hee, you wanted to know what a healtrix is, correct?" Rose asks.

"Yes, that and what 'Sync' means."

"Sync is when you combine your soul with the soul of a demon. It doesn't matter what the type is... I see you've synced with a Darint..." she says.

"Yeah... how long does it last?" I ask.

"I have NO IDEA, hahaha!" she responds. Her personality is really bubbly, it's interesting. I don't understand why she's laughing though...

"And, what about healtrix?" Riku asks.

"Oh, _that_," she says.

"Yeah... _that_," I reply.

"Well, I don't actually know... that's why Zexion ran off, he hates not knowing stuff! It's super cute!" she says.

"Uh... okay..." I say, "but how can we find out?" I ask.

"Weeell~, the elders might have some documents on that... but it could take them some time to find it, _and _I would have to convince them to look at all... but you seem interesting, and I like you so I'll do it! Besides, I totally have them wrapped around my sexy pinky finger!" she laughs.

"Oh, that's great!" Sora says, also laughing.

I find it amusing that I'm over here thinking she's interesting, and she's over there thinking we're interesting...

'_My sentiments exactly'_

_ Wow, you can read my mind too?_

_ 'All demon-keepers can read minds, silly!'_

_ Oh... cool..._

_ 'Your friends can't hear me though... I wonder if it's because you're a healtrix...'_

_ Maybe, it would be easier to tell if we knew what a healtrix was..._

_ 'I think-'_

"Whoa, Cina, that's so cool!" Sora says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You and Rose are having a telepathic conversation, it's so awesome!" he replies.

"I open my mouth to speak, but all of the sudden, I feel weird and my tail starts to shrink, what's going on? _I guess the Sync is over..._

"Well, how about we head towards my village?" Rose asks, "Everyone probably already knows about you from Zexion, because he's _such _a blabber-mouth." she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Sora giggles then exclaims, "Oh look, Cina you're back to normal!"

I look down at myself and see that the paws, the tail, and my stronger senses are all gone. _But what happened to the Darint?_ I hear a soft sound, the gentle purr of a house cat. The Darint was replaced with a house cat. Pfft...

"Oi! I may be small now, but my human form is boss!" The cat says, flicking his ears.

Oh my god... "HAHAHAHAHAHA! That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" I bellow. The cat glares at me, then pounces on my foot.

"Shut up," the cat snarls, "I am the amazing Xigbar! Fear me!"

"Wow... just, wow..." Riku says.

I pick Xigbar up and say, "Who's a cute kitty? You are!" I can't help but snicker uncontrollably. The cat scratches my nose. Ow...

"How dare you!When I earn my human form, I outta..."

"Chill out... Xiggy! Yes! That's the perfect nickname!" Rose shouts.

Xiggy hisses at Rose and wiggles out of my grasp, "Okay, let me explain something to you, I am now part of your team, of demons, but..." Xiggy shakes his head, "I am the _only _demon in your team..." Xiggy gives me what I assume is the cat's version of a glare, "So, you'll have to listen to me when I explain things..."

"Okay!" I say goofily(don't think that's a word), and salute him.

"Anyway... I can sync with you and increase your fighting abilities, while at the same time, you will be protecting my soul from harm." Xigbar explains.

"Meaning?"

"Basically, you heal and protect my soul with your soul, and I increase your power."

"Okay, that sounds simple enough!" I say with a grin.

"But it's not!" He wails.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"There are a lot of other things you can do as a healtrix, I... just don't know about them... It's different with the type of demon you put on your team. What I just explained for you was the Shadow Demon way..."

"That's fine! I'll meet tons of other demons anyway!"

"Huh... you just can't be negative can you?" Xigbar says with a sigh.

I snort and turn to Rose, "Now that all of that is cleared up, shall we go to the village?"

"We shall!" Rose declares, and runs straight into the forest, I follow her, laughing all the way.

**A/N: Okay, Rose didn't exactly learn how to fight yet... but you kind of know part of what a healtrix is, right? I say that that isn't a failure! *smile * so... I took down the poll because I already put two of the people from it in here... Anyway, the new poll I put up has nothing to do with the story, so I'm not going to talk about it. Stay tuned for chapter 7! R&R!**

**Ciel: *bursts into the room wearing a dress * WHAT THE-?! **

**Me: Oh, hey bocchan!**

**Ciel: Why am I wearing this?!**

**Me: Oh... I thought you would look cute in it because Sora did, and I was right!**

**Ciela: No! I don't want this! Don't change my name! I'm calling for my butler! SEBASTIAN!**

**Me: Hehe... he can't hear you...**

**Ciela: NOOOO!**

**Me: No, seriously, this room is soundproof, go outside.**

**Ciela: Oh... awkward... stop calling me Ciela!**

**Me: *snicker ***


	7. Geez buzz off

**A/N: So here's chapter 7! I hope this is interesting for those of you that wanted some sort of conflict in Cina and Riku's relationship... it was too perfect before, right? Even if you didn't want that, here it is! But don't worry it will get all better! *grin * I know the last chapter's paragraph was short, so I'll try to make this one longer. Here's the Disclaimer!**

**Riku: Oh my god!**

**Me: What?**

**Riku: I can't believe you paired me up with some random character you made up!**

**Me: WHAT?! But you love Cina!**

**Riku: In your mind. In reality, I love Sora... good thing you don't own KH, so it doesn't really matter...**

**Me: *grumbles * You guys are really cruel with that...**

Chapter 7

Geez... buzz off...

I can't keep up with Rose, how is she so fast in this forest? I guess it's because she's lived here so long, but _damn_ I'm going to get lost! She weaves expertly through the trees, and I try to copy her movements, but Xiggy is close to flying off my shoulder. I flinch as his claws dig into my flesh.

"Xigbar, you're going to rip my shoulder off..." I say.

"Well, if you keep running around all crazy, I have to hold on, deal with it!"

I sigh and try to pick up speed, this forest's colors are so bland, I can't tell empty space from filled space when everything's the same! Sora is also lagging behind a bit, and even Riku is losing Rose. All of the sudden she stops, so Riku stops. Then I almost run into Riku. Thank goodness I didn't, that would have been embarrassing. Unfortunately, Sora can't stop in time and we have a domino effect.

Sora and I immediately jump up, both apologizing profusely. Riku chuckles and Rose just shakes her head.

"This is my home!" She announces swinging her arms in a wide arc over a small village with clusters of houses lining dusty paths. People were weaving between carts of fruit and vegetables, laughing and screaming.

"It looks... cheerful..." I say, suddenly plagued with a memory of the past. There is a stab of pain in my chest and I try to chase the feeling away with a smile. Riku gives me a concerned look and I wave my hand as if telling him not to worry about it.

"I'm going to go talk to the elders and prepare them, you'll just stand outside the building and wait." Rose says, leading us to a tall structure made of clay with a metal plate hanging in front of it.

Rose practically skips inside, leaving Xiggy, Sora, Riku, and I to discuss current events.

"I think we need a plan..." Riku says.

"More like a goal..." Sora says.

"Hehe... You keyblade masters don't know anything..." Xiggy says.

"What do _you_ know?" I ask, "'cause if you know anything, I'd like to know what."

"Hmph... I don't have the info you want..." Xiggy says vaguely.

"Xiggy..." I say in a menacing tone.

"Stop calling me that!"

"As I was _saying,_" Riku says with a glare at Xigbar, I shrink back a little, and quiet down. Xiggy just gives Riku an annoyed look. "we need a plan..."

"How about we learn a bit about this healtrix deal, then go set that Gilo guy straight!" Sora says, apparently solving all problems.

"Yeah... and then we can take Cina home, and continue life as we knew it before..." Riku says, nodding. I feel a stab of pain in my heart, _does he not want me to be with him anymore?_ I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts, _no, there must be more to it than that..._

Rose suddenly runs out of the building, "Apparently, Zexion already told them about you... this might be easier than I thought!" she announces with a grin.

"Nice!" Sora says cheerfully.

"I'm glad to see that you're excited about it!" Rose says, giving Sora a high-five. "Now follow me!"

Apparently, this girl just walks fast naturally. Even I have a hard time keeping up. She glides through the smooth hallway lined with regal paintings. Rose suddenly halts beside a gold-framed painting of someone's dog, and moves the picture to the side revealing a dark passageway.

"Come on." Rose says, beckoning for us to continue to follow. I inspect the cave we have walked into carefully, and fear tingles up and down my spine.

"Are you okay Cina?" Riku asks, moving a bit closer.

"Yeah..." I reply, moving away, what he said before still stings a little, even though I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it like that. I can't see his face, and for that I'm glad.

~Riku~

_What's with Cina? Is she okay?_

_ 'Obviously not' _Rose's voice sounds in my head.

_How... can you hear my thoughts?_

_ '...it's an ability demon-keepers have, but I'm surprised you can hear me now, you couldn't before...'_

_ You mean, you've heard all my thoughts up until now?_

_ 'Yes, but that's not the point, don't you understand? You're hurting Cina, the words you said before were pretty cruel...'_

_ What do you mean?_

_ 'Heh, she knows you so well, she had been thinking that you might not have known that you hurt her... she was right...'_

_ What do you mean? _I ask her again

_'That, my friend, is something you have to figure out on your own...'_

_ Ugh... that was corny..._

_ "Uh... Riku?" _I hear Cina's voice in my head, her voice sounds as soft as velvet. _Thanks? I think..." _

_ Did I say that out loud?_

_ 'No, but you thought it out loud!' _Rose cackled.

"We're here!" Rose shouts, in real life, or I guess outside of my mind? Ugh, I sound like a crazy person...

"This is so exciting, we might actually understand this whole healtrix thing soon!" Sora says with excitement, his voice higher than normal.

"That, is an impressive door..." Cina remarks casually, as if we hadn't been speaking telepathically a second ago.

The hall had stopped in front of a tall brass door."Why is everything in here so tall?" Sora asks, shifting his feet. Rose shrugs and pushes the door open. Everyone, except Rose gasps, the room is _huge_ it spreads before us, shaped like a dome with tall wooden pews lined up in rows like a church. Three, old, wrinkly men stand on a stage in front of us, glaring... at me? I give them a confused look.

"We can hear your thoughts, you know... everyone else is all, 'they're so regal' or, 'they look so wise', and then you're like, 'three old wrinkly men stand before us' geez! Buzz off!" The man in the center snarls.

"Calm down, brother Xemnas." The one next to him says.

"Shush, brother Saix, don't mess with him when he's in a bad mood." The other one says.

"You're one to talk, sister Kairi! You're always bothering him! Besides, you're just angry that they called you an old man!" The one called Saix replies.

"Shut up, scar face!" Kairi retorts. Looking closer, she most definitely is a woman, her face is a little rounder and her eyes are bigger... "Don't forget that I have boobs too!" sister Kairi says, causing everyone to give her funny looks.

"_Anyway_," Xemnas says, glaring at Kairi and Saix, "we are here to speak about the healtrix, correct?"

I, along with everyone else, nod. "Don't tell them Xemnas... they are keyblade masters, and we are demon-keepers. We fight for balance, and they fight for themselves." Kairi hisses.

"The young healtrix deserves to know..." Xemnas says quietly.

"Whatever..." Kairi mutters.

"As I was saying, the healtrix is a part of the demon pact. They normally fight alongside demons if they're normal, they are used as servants if they're weak, and they fight alongside Marstes if they are strong." Xemnas finishes.

"How can you tell if a healtrix is strong or weak? What does a healtrix do?" Cina asks.

The elders glance at each other, and Xemnas speaks again, "Well, we aren't sure... we don't have much information off the top of our heads... but we do have books with more about them. Lately, the healtrix race has been depleting, and the demons believe that the keyblade masters are behind it."

"Well, why don't you just crack open those books, and we can be on our way!" Sora says.

Xemnas looks to Kairi, who nods. "It's not that simple-" Xemnas begins.

"Why not?!" Cina asks, looking irritated.

"Lately, our archive has been raided, and the books are a mess... we would have to take a few days to find them..." Xemnas replies warily.

"Heh, then why bother?" Rose questions, about to show us the way out.

"Because." Xemnas says simply, wisdom dripping from the word. Cina opens her mouth to ask 'why' when a loud screech is heard just down the hall...

**A/N: How'd you like that? I bet someone knows what they heard! But maybe not! Anyway, I cannot believe this is the third time I updated in two days. Wow! These aren't prewritten chapters people I typed for like three hours straight to finish all these chapters... anyway, Axel wanted to talk.**

**Axel: What the heck?!**

**Me: Chill Axel...**

**Axel: *growl ***

**Roxas: Axel...**

**Axel: *gaze softens * Roxas...**

**Me:OKAY, MOVING ON! STAY TUNED FOR CHAPTER 8! R&R!**

**Axel: Who are you talking to...?**


End file.
